One can not fully understand the scope of the Thomas Fire until you drive along the coast and see things for yourself. Covered for years with lush vegetation that come spring would be as green as Tehachapi, these hills will now draw attention in another way in the form of their chard soil. On this cool afternoon at Faria Beach, with many of these hillsides providing the backdrop, Amtrak 769 hustles west with additional equipment from Oakland on the rear.